[Transfer of hybrid plasmids pRP1.2::MINI-Mu into Agrobacterium and Rhizobium cells]

The study is devoted to determination of bacteriophage Mu genome regions responsible for transfer limitation and instability of the plasmids in cells of strains of practically important microorganisms. With this aim in view, we determined the frequency of transfer into Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Rhizobium meliloti cells of plasmids with mini-Mu phages carrying previously constructed deletions of various lengths. Sharp decrease has been noted in the frequency of transfer into A. tumefaciens strain PG2592 of all the plasmids used, as compared with the initial plasmid pRP1.2 with no dependence on the availability of mini-Mu killing functions. This gives evidence that deletions in the mini-Mu utilized do not include the sites affected by the recipient' restriction system. As regards R. meliloti L5-30-M27, it appeared that the transfer of pRM30 plasmid carrying mini-Mu 5 with conserved killing functions (the ability for autonomous transposition) is of the same frequency as the transfer of pRP1.2. In this mini-Mu, the region between the extreme HpAI sites in the right end is missing, this region being probably responsible for such low frequency of transfer into Rhizobium cells of Mu-containing plasmid.